DAVID: NOTHING IS BORING ABOUT
ELON MUSK'S LATEST VENTURE EVEN
THOUGH IT IS CALLED THE BORING
COMPANY.
MUSK UNVEILING THE COMPANY'S
FIRST PROTOTYPE OF A HIGH-SPEED
TUNNEL.
HILLARY VAUGHAN HAS MORE FOR US
ON ALL THIS.
HILLARY?
>> HEY, DAVID.
WELL, ELON MUSK SAYING HE THINKS
HE'S CRACKED THE CODE FOR A
BETTER COMMUTE AND ALL OF THIS
HINGES ON THIS TUNNEL THAT HE
DUG UNDER HAW THORN,
CALIFORNIA -- HAWTHORNE,
CALIFORNIA.
THAT'S THE START.
WE WENT ON A RIDE ALONG DOWN
WHAT WAS ESSENTIALLY A CAR
ELEVATOR THAT TOOK US FROM
STREET LEVEL TO THE UNDERGROUND
TUNNEL LEVEL.
THE PLAN IS TO HAVE CARS
TRAVELING THROUGH THESE TUNNELS
GOING 150 MILES-PER-HOUR AND
COMPLETELY ESCAPING THE GRIDLOCK
ABOVE THEM ON THE ROAD.
THERE IS A CATCH, THOUGH.
ONLY ELECTRIC AND SELF-DRIVING
CARS ARE ALLOWED IN THE TUNNEL,
BUT IT IS NOT JUST FOR TESLA
CARS.
MUSK SAYS HE CREATED ESSENTIALLY
A BUMPER THAT CAN FIT OVER THE
FRONT TIRES OF ANY SELF-DRIVING
ELECTRIC VEHICLE THAT WILL ALLOW
PEOPLE TO DRIVE THROUGH.
SO IT'S ALSO STREET FRIENDLY.
BUT MUSK SAYS THESE TUNNELS HAVE
A LOT MORE POTENTIAL THAN JUST
CUTTING THROUGH GRIDLOCK.
IT COULD CHANGE HOW CITIES
OPERATE AND HOW THEY ARE BUILT
ENTIRELY.
>> I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA --
>> A LOT OF INTEREST IN UTILITY
TUNNELS, WHERE A MUNICIPALITY
CAN GET A BIG TUNNEL AND THEN
PUT WATER MAINS AND ELECTRICITY
LINES INSIDE THE TUNNEL AND THEN
THEY CAN ACTUALLY SERVICE --
LIKE IF THERE IS A WATER MAIN
BREAK, INSTEAD OF IT FLOODING
THE MAIN STREET IN THE CITY,
THEY CAN ACTUALLY GO INTO THE
BORING COMPANY TUNNEL AND FIX
THE WATER MAIN.
>> MUSK HAS DUMPED OVER 40
MILLION DOLLARS OF HIS OWN CASH
INTO THIS BORING COMPANY
PROJECT.
BUT HE SAYS HE'S REACHED OUT TO
CITIES -- CITIES REACH OUT TO
HIM, AT LEAST 20 OVER WEEK,
INTERESTED IN THESE TUNNELS
WHETHER IT'S THE PASSENGER
TUNNELS OR THIS UTILITY TYPE
TUNNEL THAT THEY ARE ALSO
EXPLORING.
>> I MUST SAY I'M VERY
DISAPPOINTED THAT WE'RE NOT
MOVING TOWARDS FLYING CARS.
THAT'S MY SORT OF FIRST HOPE IN
THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE.
I'M HOPING ELON MUSK WILL GO
THERE TOO.
I GUESS THE QUESTION IS MAKING
IT ONLY FOR ELECTRIC CARS, DOES
ANYONE ELSE THINK THAT'S KIND OF
CHEESY BECAUSE AFTER ALL REGULAR
CARS GO THROUGH OTHER TUNNELS,
SO IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT ANY
CAR COULD GO THROUGH HERE;
RIGHT?
>> I THINK PART OF THE ISSUE
THAT ELON ADDRESSED THIS
YESTERDAY SAYING THAT IF YOU
HAVE A VEHICLE THAT'S EMITTING
EMISSIONS THAT ACTUALLY TAKES UP
THE OXYGEN IN THE TUNNEL BECAUSE
THEY ARE BASICALLY THE SIZE OF A
CAR.
THERE'S NOT MUCH MORE ROOM.
THERE'S ALSO NOT OXYGEN PUMPING
INTO THESE TUNNELS THAT ARE
SUPPOSED TO BE RELATIVELY LONG,
SO THE IDEA IS THAT IT'S SAFER
FOR EVERYONE, BUT AGAIN, THIS
DOES FIT IN LINE WITH HIS OTHER
COMPANY TESLA.
SO IT MAKES SENSE THAT HE'S KIND
OF CREATING A NEED AND ALSO A
MAJOR PERK FOR PEOPLE THAT DRIVE
THESE ELECTRIC CARS AND GET
THESE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES.
>> IT'S DEIRDRE, I SAW SOMETHING
THAT CARS CAN ONLY GO 35 TO 55
MILES-PER-HOUR?
>> THAT WAS IN THE TEST-DRIVE
THAT WE DID.
WE ENDED UP ONLY GOING 40
MILES-PER-HOUR ON THIS RUN.
BUT THE IDEA IS THAT ONCE IT'S
BUILT TO SCALE, AND IT'S LONGER
THAN A MILE LONG, YOU WILL BE
ABLE TO GO UNTO 150
MILES-PER-HOUR, BUT ONE THING
THAT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT
HERE, IT'S THE ENGINE OF THE CAR
THAT'S DRIVING YOU THROUGH THE
TUNNEL.
YOU ARE NOT ON A SLED OR A SKATE
THAT'S SHOOTING YOU THROUGH THE
TUNNEL.
YOUR CAR IS JUST DRIVING YOU AT
THIS SPEED.
SO YOUR CAR HAS TO ALSO BE ABLE
TO GO 150 MILES-PER-HOUR,
OTHERWISE IT IS NOT GOING TO
WORK.
>> IT SOUNDS LIKE AN INTERESTING
IDEA.
I GUESS ALL I HAVE TO DO IS WAIT
LIKE 25 YEARS FOR ELECTRIC CARS
TO BECOME MORE POPULAR AND THEN
THIS CAN BECOME A BIG DEAL.
IT IS KIND OF CONTINGENT ON
THAT.
I HOPE IF IT WORKS OUT, HE GETS
AROUND TO IT, I'M NOT AN EXPERT,
I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND
RECOMMEND HE PUTS IN A SECOND
LANE IN HIS TUNNEL.
I MEAN, SOMETIMES CARS BREAK
DOWN.
DO YOU WANT TO BE STUCK IN A
SINGLE FILE LINE WHILE WE'RE
WAITING TO GET THESE CARS OUT OF
THERE?
I DON'T KNOW.
I HOPE THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS
LIKE.
>> SOMEBODY WHO GETS NERVOUS IN
WATER PARK TUBES, THE
CLAUSTROPHOBIA OF THIS IS
ASTONISHING.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO PAY
ATTENTION TO ONE ERRATIC
BILLIONAIRE WHO SPEAKS BEFORE HE
THINKS, I THINK IT WOULD BE MUCH
BETTER FOR ALL OF TO US PAY MORE
ATTENTION TO ELON MUSK NOT
BECAUSE HE'S RIGHT IN FACT HE'S
CLEARLY WRONG A LOT BUT AT LEAST
HE'S PASSIONATELY ENGAGED AND
OCCASIONALLY NUTTILY ENGAGED IN
TRYING TO BREAK THROUGH HOW WE
ARE DOING THINGS AND TO MOVE
TOWARD HOW WE MIGHT DO THINGS.
DAVID: YOU HAVE TO GIVE HIM
CREDIT FOR THAT.
>> HILLARY, I'M WONDERING THIS
PARTICULAR 1.14 MILE TUNNEL COST
10 MILLION DOLLARS.
DOES THAT MEAN THE ENTIRE
PROJECT WILL BE ABOUT A 10
MILLION DOLLARS PER MILE?
BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE KIND OF
PROHIBITIVE, WOULDN'T IT?
>> SO THIS TUNNEL WAS BUILT WITH
ONE TYPE OF BORING MACHINE.
THEY ARE ACTUALLY ON TO THEIR
THIRD GENERATION BORING MACHINE
THAT'S COMING OUT THAT'S
SUPPOSED TO BE THE FASTEST, THE
MOST EFFICIENT, THE BEST EVER,
AND THAT'S REALLY THE KEY HERE.
IT IS NOT THE IDEA THAT WE CAN
BUILD TUNNELS IN THE GROUND.
THAT'S NOT A NEW IDEA, BE -- BUT
THE SPEED AND THE EFFICIENCY IS
WHAT MAKES THIS PROJECT IN
MUSK'S MIND FEASIBLE FOR
REVOLUTIONIZING PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION BECAUSE IT CAN BE
BUILT SO QUICKLY AND BASICALLY A
TENTH FOR WHAT HE SAYS PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION COSTS TODAY.
DAVID: HE SAYS THIS WOULD
ELIMINATE TRAFFIC.
HE CALLS TRAFFIC ACID ON THE
SOUL.
I HAVE TO AGREE WITH HIM ON